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The Bells of Wayside
"The Bells of Wayside" is the first chapter of Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom. Synopsis In this introduction of Wayside School's bell system, Todd struggles to make it to class on time. Plot The chapter starts by noting that it is very important that the kids at Wayside School know the building's bell system. The first bell in the morning, a loud whooping noise, goes off first, marking that class starts in sixteen minutes. Although easy for kids on low floors, kids like Todd on the thirtieth story have to rush to class as soon as they hear it. As the second hand reaches the number twelve, Mr. Kidswatter starts whooping into the microphone, and Todd begins trying to weave through the other students to get to class. Mr. Kidswatter tugs another rope causing a bell to clang eight times, meaning there are eight minutes left to class. Seven clangs means a helicopter has landed on the roof, nine clangs means there's a porcupine in the building. Todd weaves past the dilly-dalliers on the first few floors, and starts rushing upstairs with nothing to slow him down. He hears a light "ching-a-ling" bell, that means the teachers' lounge has run out of doughnuts. Todd, however, is anxious to hear the late bell, which sounds like an angry driver sounding like a car horn right behind him. He dashes from the eighteenth floor to the twentieth, since there is no nineteenth, eventually reaching Mrs. Jewls's class on the thirtieth story, right behind Joy, who shuts the door behind her. Todd reaches for the door, hears the late bell loudly blare, and Mrs. Jewls tells him he's late, so he has to write his name under the DISCIPLINE list. The story continues to note the other bells throughout the day, the lunch bell that kaboinks three times, meaning macaroons and cheese, the single ding that denotes recess, that everyone can hear, and the end-of-day bell, produced by Mr. Kidswatter hitting a gong with a large, iron mallet. Todd glumly looks at the blackboard, his name up and checked, and a large pile of homework assignments written next to it. Most terrifyingly is a warning that the Ultimate Test starts tomorrow. Todd knows that if he fails it, he'll be sent back to kindergarten. However, then he hears the most magical bell of all, the "Erase-the-Blackboard Bell," which had only been heard once in all of Wayside School's history. Cheers can be heard from across the school, as teachers on each floor erase the blackboard, leading to no more homework assignments, no more DISCIPLINE list, and no more Ultimate Test. In the basement, the men with the attaché case open the case, and place inside a small silver ball and a solid gold paddle. Characters *Mr. Hardgroves (debut, mentioned) *Mrs. Jewls *Todd *Mr. Kidswatter *Joy *The men with the attaché case Trivia *This marks the earliest appearance of the men with the attaché case in a Wayside School book. *Retroactively, this book chapter contradicts the cartoon, where a porcupine is prominently featured, but nine clangs are never heard. Category:Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom chapters Category:Book chapters